Recording The Myth

Introduction

Yesterday I bought a vinyl album I had not seen for decades, "Heavy Cream", and one of the songs was "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" penned by Eric Clapton, which got me thinking, "How many songs reference old mythology, and immediately several came to mind.

Many of these I used to accompany my stories and poetry, but this is the first time (I think) that I have gathered them together in this form.

Television - "Venus" from "Marquee Moon"

The Venus in this song refers to the Venus de Milo from the effective chorus

I fell (did you feel low?) Nah (huh?)

I fell right into the arms, Venus de Milo

The album is still one of the most stunning I have ever heard. It is not normal rock, being based on complex guitar sequences rather than chords. Tom Veralaine and Richard Lloyd's guitar interplay is an absolute beauty to behold.

XTC - "Jason and the Argonauts" from "English Settlements"

This is from a favourite album of mine from a favourite band, and with a subject which was a tale I loved at school, with Jason on his ship, the Argo, to find the Golden Fleece.

Like Jason and the Argonauts

There may be no golden fleece, but human riches I'll release

The stories of Jason are available on the internet if you want to investigate further. The Argo was built by a guy called Argus, who was not the ever-watching giant Argus Panoptes who gave his eyes to the tail of the peacock.

Led Zeppelin - "Achilles Last Stand" from "Presence"

I recently acquired this album on vinyl, and this is the opening song and the stand-out on the album. Achilles was invincible apart from his hell, which resulted in his eventual demise, although I always thought it was a strange way to meet his end.

The Herd - "From The Underworld" from "Paradise Lost"

The band featured Peter Frampton on guitar and were influenced by classical literature. This song definitely stands the test of time, and I have used it to accompany many of my poems and tales.

The song is based on the ancient Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice when Orpheus tried to bring his wife Eurydice back from Hades - unfortunately without a happy ending

Procol Harum - "Pandora's Box" from "Procol's Ninth"

Procol Harum's subjects were always very scholarly with Keith Reid's excellent lyrics, so I knew that they would have something for me, and this is the one.

Iron Maiden - "The Flight Of Icarus" from "Piece Of Mind"

I am surprised that there are not more metal bands in this playlist, but Iron Maiden are always welcome, and the ill fate of Icarus is a perfect subject for them.

Sam Cooke - "Cupid"

Sam Cooke was responsible for some very important songs, such as "A Change Is Gonna Come" and "Touch The Hem Of His Garment", but this is a lighter love song about Cupid and his arrows.

Cupid is the ancient Roman god of desire, erotic love, and attraction, often depicted as a winged boy carrying a bow and arrow to pierce hearts. In modern pop culture, he is an iconic symbol of Valentine's Day and the ultimate patron of romance

Cream - "Tales Of Brave Ulysses" from "Disraeli Gears"

This was the song that inspired me to create this playlist, and it is a sixty-year-old slice of pure magic. Ulysses is the Latin variant of Odysseus, hence The Odyssey, not the Ulyssey.

Thank you for reading and listening. I hope you found something new and interesting.

As always, there are so many mythological and legendary figures that I will miss a great deal, so, as usual, there may be a follow-up.